✨🥅 2023-24 NHL GENERAL SEASON THREAD 🥅 ✨

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

As the season gets underway today, good idea to have one of these:

General season thread where whomever has comments about anything going on in the league, whether player news, article excerpts, or game day information, and doesn't really warrant its own thread, it can go here.

Welcome back regular season fans.....three games on tap to start out our new NHL season:

Nashville at Tampa Bay, currently underway
Chicago at Pittsburgh at 8pm EST
Seattle at Las Vegas at 1030pm EST

All games being broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Enjoy the season everyone!

Edited October 14, 2023 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Tampa Bay Lightning are gonna notch the first win of the NHL season with a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators, but man, talk about an ugly win.

Jonas Johansson shouldn't unfairly be compared to the man he is replacing in net while he recovers, but still, he IS in the place of Vezina caliber and Stanley Cup winner, and well, he didn't look the part.
Bolts offense helped, but Johansson thought it was gonna be as easy as it seems he had it during exhibition, then he's got another thing coming.

New faces on the Bolts working their way to familiarity....yea, all those things will take a bit of time.

To their credit, the Preds didn't come to lay down for anyone.
Juuse Saros was of course, Saros, and all that entails, but some young players on the Preds looked pretty good out there such as Tommasino and Novack.

I'd hate to see what a more powerful offense like Toronto or Ottawa would do against a journeyman like Johansson though....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

To the surprise of no one, the Penguins are taking it to the Hawks.

Chicago is game, don't get me wrong. Lots of guys on that  team, young guys and veterans alike, looking to bag themselves a Crosby....but honestly, Pittsburgh looks that much better than Chicago on the ice in general.
Too many breakdowns on defense, Petr Mrazek in goal looking overwhelmed.....Hawks have a very nice player in Bedard to further their rebuild, but they are gonna lose a LOT more before they see any light at the end of the tunnel.
There are no shortcuts for him that I can see.

Pittsburgh leads Chicago 2-0 with 8 to go in the 2nd, but despite the score looking close still, the flow of the game just looks clearly in favor of the Pens.

[Icechipper]

Working out of town and watching all three games on ESPN tonight in hotel room. Impressed with presentation, and with Bedard's poise with puck on his stick.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Icechipper

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 hours ago, Icechipper said:

Working out of town and watching all three games on ESPN tonight in hotel room. Impressed with presentation, and with Bedard's poise with puck on his stick.

 

And of course, I go and pump up Pittsburgh's tires....and they go and allow 3 in the 3rd which leads to a Chicago win.

Shame on you, water fowl!  

[notfondajane]

6 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

To the surprise of no one, the Penguins are taking it to the Hawks.

Chicago is game, don't get me wrong. Lots of guys on that  team, young guys and veterans alike, looking to bag themselves a Crosby....but honestly, Pittsburgh looks that much better than Chicago on the ice in general.
Too many breakdowns on defense, Petr Mrazek in goal looking overwhelmed.....Hawks have a very nice player in Bedard to further their rebuild, but they are gonna lose a LOT more before they see any light at the end of the tunnel.
There are no shortcuts for him that I can see.

Pittsburgh leads Chicago 2-0 with 8 to go in the 2nd, but despite the score looking close still, the flow of the game just looks clearly in favor of the Pens.

So much for beating the Hawks. The Tuxedo birds lost 4-2. Of course they quit in the third period. Good start for a lottery pick.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Interesting.
The Vancouver Canucks made Quinn Hughes, and NOT Elias Pettersson nor JT Miller, their new captain.

Maybe the young Hughes has more leadership chops than what I am giving him credit for?

Over in Tronno, the Leafs take the opener against the Habs, but it didin't come easy.
Took the Maple heads a 6-5 score via the shoot out to get it done.

Is Montreal gonna be that game all year? Still gonna be tough sledding for those guys to make the playoffs I think...

[Icechipper]

Fair question here: should Chicago rookie Connor Bedard be awarded a third assist on his first NHL goal against Boston Wednesday.....

Edited October 12, 2023 by Icechipper

[Math]

11 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Over in Tronno, the Leafs take the opener against the Habs, but it didin't come easy.
Took the Maple heads a 6-5 score via the shoot out to get it done.

Is Montreal gonna be that game all year? Still gonna be tough sledding for those guys to make the playoffs I think...

 

I watched the game and it was as expected: typical early season game with lots of offense and brain farts. Of course, Montréal folks are already whining on how they deserved so much to win and how this Leafs team has absolutely no depth and will never go past the first round...

 

But there's that: The Canadiens played with no pressure and capitalized as much as they could. Toronto was bad, they offered three goals on a silver plate to the Habs, Samsonov (despite some good saves) was atrocious. Despite that, the Leafs dominated most of the game and managed to rally and win it after shooting themselves in the foot a couple of times. The margin of progression is huge and the gap between those two teams is absolutely enormous.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

10 hours ago, Icechipper said:

Fair question here: should Chicago rookie Connor Bedard be awarded a third assist on his first NHL goal against Boston Wednesday.....

 

LOL....why is that?
Because he basically passed to himself before scoring?  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

13 minutes ago, Math said:

 

I watched the game and it was as expected: typical early season game with lots of offense and brain farts. Of course, Montréal folks are already whining on how they deserved so much to win and how this Leafs team has absolutely no depth and will never go past the first round...

 

But there's that: The Canadiens played with no pressure and capitalized as much as they could. Toronto was bad, they offered three goals on a silver plate to the Habs, Samsonov (despite some good saves) was atrocious. Despite that, the Leafs dominated most of the game and managed to rally and win it after shooting themselves in the foot a couple of times. The margin of progression is huge and the gap between those two teams is absolutely enormous.

 

Well, yes, you are right....early season games hard to gauge.

Some of these teams will be exactly who we see, but the bulk of them are still working in new faces, working off summer rust, etc.
For as much as the Leafs DID dominate, I would have expected a score more firmly in their favor, but well, even though the Habs will likely finish near or at the bottom of their division, if I know anything about Martin St. Louis watching him as a player in TB for so many years is that he won't roll over for anyone and ALWAYS believes he has a shot.

Pretty sure he expects the same from his players.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Gonna have the Coyotes at Devils in the background tonight as I go about my business on my laptop.

Some say the Coyotes are gonna surprise.
I want to see if there is anything there.

On paper, they actually don't look too bad. But as we know, they don't play the game on paper.
If they did, the Leafs probably would have won 5 Cups in a row by now  

Anyways, Devils could be favorites to win their Metro division, unless the Canes have something to say about that of course.
Yotes are expected to finish near the bottom with the Hawks by some, but others say, they may be closer to the Wild and Blues in the middle.

Pffft...Wild in the middle.
Stanley Cup for those boys! (Oh shush....I'm having a fantasy here...go away   )

Speaking of Wild, Arizona seems to be collecting former Minnesota players: say hello to Nick Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Mat Dumba in the desert!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Yotes came to play!
Goals from the defense (Dumba and Durzi) have them up 2-1 over the Devils in the 2nd.

Devils' Akira Schmid has had to be absolutely sharp this game as the chances the Yotes are generating could have easily had them up 4-1 over NJ had it not been for Schmid.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I see where the Oilers signed former Bolts draft pick and most recently a former Red Wing, Adam Erne to a 775K one year contract.

Whether it is intended for him to be in Edmonton or the AHL for the Oilers remains to be seen.
The 28 yr old is a prototypical 4th liner with a pinch of scoring ability, not particularly quick, but pretty physical and versatile as to which forward position he can play.....yep, he has been known to center a line here and there, and his FO ability isn't too shabby.
He is a pretty physical guy too without necessarily being a fighting type player.

From the 4th line maybe expect a 5-10G, 20 pt type season from him? Perhaps.
Unless of course, he is simply Bakersfield fodder.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Devils taking over the game now, as one would have suspected given their offensive capabilities.

Three unanswered goals to turn what was initially a 2-0 Yotes lead into a 3-2 Devils lead after 2 periods of play.
Akira Schmid's great play in keeping his team in it till the offense woke up looms very large now.

We will now see if the Yotes really do have heart and have a response, or fall into a kind of "oh no, we let another lead slip away" type mentality. 
Judging by some of the fire shown by Arizona players throughout the game, I would think it would be the former.

[thegx.ca]

On 10/11/2023 at 8:17 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Interesting.
The Vancouver Canucks made Quinn Hughes, and NOT Elias Pettersson nor JT Miller, their new captain.

Maybe the young Hughes has more leadership chops than what I am giving him credit for?

Over in Tronno, the Leafs take the opener against the Habs, but it didin't come easy.
Took the Maple heads a 6-5 score via the shoot out to get it done.

Is Montreal gonna be that game all year? Still gonna be tough sledding for those guys to make the playoffs I think...

I think Montreal won't be nearly as bad as last year and actually that whole division is stacked I mean Detroit and Montreal are the worst in that division but both won't be in the league basement though...

[thegx.ca]

24 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Devils taking over the game now, as one would have suspected given their offensive capabilities.

Three unanswered goals to turn what was initially a 2-0 Yotes lead into a 3-2 Devils lead after 2 periods of play.
Akira Schmid's great play in keeping his team in it till the offense woke up looms very large now.

We will now see if the Yotes really do have heart and have a response, or fall into a kind of "oh no, we let another lead slip away" type mentality. 
Judging by some of the fire shown by Arizona players throughout the game, I would think it would be the former.

Devils are the team to beatv this year...and of course Las Vegas the champs too of course...

[thegx.ca]

2 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Gonna have the Coyotes at Devils in the background tonight as I go about my business on my laptop.

Some say the Coyotes are gonna surprise.
I want to see if there is anything there.

On paper, they actually don't look too bad. But as we know, they don't play the game on paper.
If they did, the Leafs probably would have won 5 Cups in a row by now  

Anyways, Devils could be favorites to win their Metro division, unless the Canes have something to say about that of course.
Yotes are expected to finish near the bottom with the Hawks by some, but others say, they may be closer to the Wild and Blues in the middle.

Pffft...Wild in the middle.
Stanley Cup for those boys! (Oh shush....I'm having a fantasy here...go away   )

Speaking of Wild, Arizona seems to be collecting former Minnesota players: say hello to Nick Bjugstad, Jason Zucker, and Mat Dumba in the desert!

Zona gonna be in the league basement with the Sharks as usual I thinking...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, thegx.ca said:

I think Montreal won't be nearly as bad as last year and actually that whole division is stacked I mean Detroit and Montreal are the worst in that division but both won't be in the league basement though...

Yea, the Atlantic top to bottom, much like last year, can be pretty tough.

The one good thing for teams like the Habs and Wings who are trying to work their way up in a tough division is, the difficutly and adversity they face will just ultimately make them better overall down the line, as opposed to simply having to be better than mediocre divisional rivals.

You see that kind of thing in almost all pro leagues in various sports.
Team does well against the relatively 'weaker' divisional competition, build just enough to be better than those, but fall against the real contenders.
But, same team gets beat down over and over by some of the best, and it forces THEM to be as good as they can possibly be, and when they finally do build, they aren't just simply better than an average team...they are elite.

Which is why I think we are seeing very promising Buffalo and Ottawa clubs as well.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

6 minutes ago, thegx.ca said:

Devils are the team to beatv this year...and of course Las Vegas the champs too of course...

 

Well, if the Canes can continue on their upward trajectory, it should be interesting between them and the Devils for the Metro top spot.
If the Rangers ever get their statues out of their liberties, they too have the talent to compete at a very high level in the post season....but so far, the NYR have been more hype than real.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Devils looking to cruise to a victory in the 3rd?

Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz say 'No way' as they combine to score the tying goal at 3 with just over 5 minutes left in the game.
That no-look pass by the 19 yr old Cooley to Schmaltz was pretty damned nice!

And it didn't look accidental either.....looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.
A thing of beauty.

[Tomdog]

Unfortunately the yotes will probably do a “yotes” thing at the trade deadline. 
They may have a pretty good season, but will probably ruin their future by trading away some of their best talent. 
They just can’t seem to get out of their own way. 

[thegx.ca]

8 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Devils looking to cruise to a victory in the 3rd?

Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz say 'No way' as they combine to score the tying goal at 3 with just over 5 minutes left in the game.
That no-look pass by the 19 yr old Cooley to Schmaltz was pretty damned nice!

And it didn't look accidental either.....looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.
A thing of beauty.

I gotta remember not to pump their tires before games over too

[Math]

13 hours ago, thegx.ca said:

I think Montreal won't be nearly as bad as last year and actually that whole division is stacked I mean Detroit and Montreal are the worst in that division but both won't be in the league basement though...

 

Yeah, honestly they are on the good track and St-Louis is a good fit with a good philosophy (my God... what am I writing...). Montembault can be a good #1 in the foreseeable future. Their defense is still awful and they lack depth, that's why they will be dead last in their stacked division; not because they are worse but because their direct opponents got significantly better.

 

About the Yotes, book it, they will be in the postseason as a wild card team. I'm high on Vejmelka, their blue line has gotten much better with Durzi and Dumba who is looking for a redemption year. I really like the mix between young guns like Keller, Hayton, Maccelli and Cooley; and physical vets in Zucker, Bjugstad, McBain. Plus Crouse and Schmaltz who can be big offensive contributors. Not to mention that Tourigny is a very skilled coach.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, Math said:

 

 Plus Crouse and Schmaltz who can be big offensive contributors. Not to mention that Tourigny is a very skilled coach.

 

 

Lawson Crouse may be one of the better kept secrets in the NHL, tbh.
I've watched him on and off since he came into the league, toiling away in the desert, and he has gone from just a big body always put in limited time defensive roles, to more of a do a bit of everything type guy who actually has hockey skills to go along with his size.

He has quietly put together back to back 20 G seasons to go along with about as many assists, and doing that with a team that is in a constant state of 'sell off' and/or rebuild.
I can only imagine what he would be able to do on a team with clearly defined offensive roles for him and with even more skill and established guys around him.

Would LOVE to have him on the Lightning or Wild.
A big player, with actual skill, not afraid to be physical, even drop the gloves, takes relatively few penalties for the style of game he plays, AND, he generally doesn't turn the puck over very much?
Yes, please!